Oviedo girls, Hagerty boys off to fast starts at state bowling tournament

5:44 p.m. EST, November 7, 2012|By Brendan Sonnone, Orlando Sentinel

Oviedo's girls bowling team used its experience from last season's second-place finish to fuel a fast start at the state tournament at Boardwalk Bowl.

The Lions, led by juniors Amy Quick and Ember Miksa, totaled 3,719 points in the opening round to earn the No. 2 seed for the round-of-16 teams. Oviedo then went 2-0 on the first day of the double-elimination tournament. That left the Lions as one of eight squads remaining heading into Thursday, the second and final day of competition.

"We know what to expect,'' Quick said. "We know what the environment is going to be and how loud it's going to be. Plus we know we have to come in with a positive attitude here."

The cheers and chants from players and fans washed out the booms of bowling balls striking pins, making for an intense atmosphere. The noise didn't rattle the Lions, though.

"It's crazy," Quick said.

Three of the four girls teams left in the championship bracket are from Central Florida. Besides Oviedo, Orlando University and West Orange also advanced. West Orange beat 2011 state champion Stuart Martin County 3-0.

On the opposite end of the complex, Hagerty's boys team got off to an equally impressive start, recording the No. 2 seed.

The Huskies went 2-0 in the championship bracket and received strong play from Timothy Berberich.

"We're bowling well, and I think we're going to do pretty well [Thursday]," Berberich said. "This is our first year here. It was a little bit scary at first, but we got everything down now.''

Wekiva is the only other boys team still in the tournament. The Mustangs are in the consolation bracket, meaning they will be eliminated with another loss.

Some changes were made to the initial tournament schedule. Team play will resume Thursday at 7:30 a.m., with the championship match concluding at 5:50 p.m.

Quick and Berberich made the first cut in the individual bracket as well. The individual bracket will start at 10:10 a.m., and the championship is slated for 1:10 p.m.